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There are a ton of things to think about if you want to achieve your potential in Triathlon. From the training itself to proper nutrition, good sleep and other aspects, the list of things to be done seems endless. There are also many things that triathletes do that are killing their potential for success. I recently read an article by on Training Peaks called by Jim Vance called "10 Things Endurance Athletes Need To Stop Doing". This is my version specific to triathlon training. Enjoy.

1. Stop Doing Other People's Stuff

Yeah it's great to train with a group, but you need to focus on YOU, if YOU want to achieve YOUR potential! Simple. So, limit your group workouts to the workouts that actually fall in line with YOUR goals. This is holds especially true to recovery workouts. If you cant training appropriately on your own, then we need to work on the real issue at hand here. If you are truly committed to YOUR goals, training according to those goals should not be an issue.

2. Stop Ignoring Recovery

The food you eat, the beers you are drinking, the amount you sleep, it all affects you in the long run, even though you think it doesn't. Going too hard on easy days, also KILLs your training. Without the PROPER recovery, training means nothing. The formula for training is TRAINING = Stress + Recovery. The athletes that only do the stress part, don't see as big of gains as they hope for. We all know the athlete that says "today is my easy day", yet 30:00 into the ride he is hammering at 90% of his threshold pace. Don't be that guy. If you train hard, then eat a bunch of junk food and stay up late drinking, you aren't going to get as fast as you could. Period.

3. Stop Ignoring Your Weight

How many guys that are 25 pounds overweight do you see winning triathlons? Probably not very many. What you eat affects your recovery. (no brainer). If you aren't thin, you aren't as fast as you can be. Period. I'm not saying get to an unhealthy weight, but to think those extra 10-20 lbs you could lose aren't affecting your performance, is ignoring the obvious. If you're 20+lbs over your ideal race weight, that new bike isn't going to help you.

4. Stop Obsessing About Volume

Do you really believe it's all about training volume? Come on. If the person that did the most volume was winning every race, ultra runners would be winning marathons, marathoners would be winning 5k's. It's about the quality of training you do, not how much training you do. So hire a coach that you trust, and listen! There are Age Groupers winning their age group on less than 10 hours of training a week.

5. Stop ignoring Hydration

Not drinking enough fluid will make your heart rate at much less effort, and dramatically slow down your recovery. If you want to be faster, drink more.

6. Stop Ignoring Technology.

Bro, you use technology is every aspect of your life... iPhone, Macbook, iPad. Why would you not use power, pace and HR data on a daily basis? If you’re not willing to learn how to use these tools, how committed are you to your goals if you know they can help?

7. Stop Thinking you NEED Faster Wheels, Bikes and Helmets.

Learn how to train properly first, and get to race weight. Then we can talk about it.

8. Stop Being Negative With Yourself

If you don't believe in yourself when you toe that start line, the result is pretty much already determined, Mental Fitness matters.